Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Criminal Justice Reforms Urgently Needed

"(Gaza City) – Palestinians face serious abuses in the Hamas criminal justice
system, including arbitrary arrest, incommunicado detention, torture, and unfair
trials. Since it took control of Gaza in 2007, Hamas has executed at least three
men convicted on the basis of “confessions” apparently obtained under
torture.

The 43-page report, “Abusive System:
Criminal Justice in Gaza,” documents extensive violations by Hamas security
services, including warrantless arrests, failure to inform families promptly of
detainees’ whereabouts, and subjecting detainees to torture. It also documents
violations of detainees’ rights by prosecutors and courts. Military courts
frequently try civilians, in violation of international law. Prosecutors often
deny detainees access to a lawyer, and courts have failed to uphold detainees’
due process rights in cases of warrantless arrest and abusive interrogations,
Human Rights Watch found.

“After five years of Hamas rule in Gaza, its criminal justice system reeks of
injustice, routinely violates detainees’ rights, and grants impunity to abusive
security services,” said Joe
Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Hamas should stop
the kinds of abuses that Egyptians, Syrians, and others in the region have
risked their lives to bring to an end.”......"